Hot weather shower mistake that could be adding up to £127 to bills – how to avoid it
A SIMPLE shower switch up could save you £127 on your bills and thousands of litres of water every year.
Energy bills for the average household stand at £2,500 so you should be looking to slash costs wherever possible.
The summer months make it less likely you’ll need the heating on and use fuel-guzzling appliances like the tumble dryer.
But it might see you having to use the shower more to wash after a hot and busy day.
One simple mistake could be adding to your bills though – spending too much time in there.
Andrew Tucker, demand manager at Thames Water, said slashing your shower time in half can cut your yearly bills by £127 a year.
Not only that, but you’ll use thousands of litres of water less as well.
Andrew said: “Reducing your daily water use is a great way to save on household bills – and simple swaps can make a big difference when it comes to your bathroom habits.
“When looking at daily use, shaving your 7.5 minute shower down to 4 minutes, could save you as a much as £127 a year across both your water and energy bills.
“You could also reduce your annual water use by around 12,775 litres.”
You can save even more money by switching from the bath to the shower.
Thames Water said the average bath uses 80 litres of water, whereas using a shower for one minute uses 10.
So if you showered for four minutes, you’d be churning through half the amount of water and making extra savings on your bills.
With the UK weather hotting up, Thames Water is also encouraging customers to be wary about how they use water outside.
The company said those that have outdoor space use up to 50% more water on days where the temperature is above 25°C.
But it is urging people to use less where possible in small ways.
Andrew added: “There are small changes that can make a big difference, whether that’s using a watering can in the garden or washing cars with a bucket and sponge.
“It’s the excessive use that we all need to watch out for.
“Running a hose, whether into the garden or paddling pool, uses up to 500 litres per 30 minutes of use.”
It comes after millions of water customers were hit with a hosepipe ban last summer following a period of hot and dry weather.
A number of utility companies announced bans due to the threat of water shortages.
How else can I reduce my water bill?
Slashing your shower time is one of the easiest ways to cut your water bill, but there are other ways too.
A leaky loo is a sure fire way to throw not just water, but hundreds of pounds down the drain.
One of the tell-tale signs is if your overflow pipe, found on the outside of your home, is dripping.
According to checkatrade, getting a toilet fixed costs around £150 so is well worth doing if you can.
Meanwhile, it might seem counter intuitive, but using a dishwasher instead of washing up your crockery in the sink can help cut bills.
But make sure it’s full to maximise on efficiency.
In other news, thousands of families are set to receive £30 food vouchers over the school holidays.
Plus, there’s a supermarket you may not have ever heard of where you can get a weekly shop for as little as £3.50.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk